A New York City traffic camera may help catch drunken drivers.CBS 2’s John Salgado reports.CBS News:John SALGAO, BYLINE: Traffic cameras have become an increasingly common part of cities.
They’re ubiquitous in Los Angeles, where citywide cameras have captured more than 200,000 arrests.
But there are no such cameras in New York, which has a population of nearly 1.6 million.
That means a drunken driver could be caught if a traffic camera is located just a few blocks away from a busy intersection.
The New York Police Department, which is responsible for enforcing the city’s traffic laws, says its officers have had the cameras on hand for the past two years.
It also says they’re now using them to catch drivers who don’t stop for a traffic citation.
But not all motorists agree.
In a new study, a group of New York residents who are members of the Alcoholics Anonymous fellowship said they weren’t using them in the right way.
They found that people stopped for a ticket were much more likely to be arrested for drinking than if they didn’t.
John Salgado, BYTE: New York has a law against driving under the influence, so police are required to stop you for a citation if you’re not drinking.
The group of men were part of the New York group Alcoholics Without Borders, which helps people struggling with alcoholism.
They are part of a group called the NOLA Police Foundation, which also includes the New Jersey Police Benevolent Association and the National Association of Chiefs of Police.
They say that if a person is stopped and arrested for a minor traffic violation, they should be able to be released on their own recognizance.
They say they can be detained at police stations and then have a judge order them to undergo a drug test.
The men also pointed out that they don’t think New York traffic cameras are particularly effective in catching drunk drivers.
John Salgao, BYLAW: But they’re certainly going to be a deterrent for a drunk driver.
It’s just not going to happen very often, and it’s not going in a way that it will deter people from driving drunk.
So the people who have the cameras, they think it will make a difference, they say.